NFL Power Rankings entering Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.
The 2020 NFL season is here. On Thursday, Sept. 10, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will match up with the Houston Texans at Arrowhead stadium, officially kicking off a new year. And after an unprecedented offseason caused by the effects of COVID-19 and the general calamity throughout the league, it’s finally time for football and, in turn, NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 1.
As the NFL returns, though, the shortened slate of offseason workouts and training camp, in addition to the lack of a preseason, does add some uncertainty throughout the league. How will new players and coaches adapt to unfamiliar situations? Will we see more injuries than normal early in the season? Is it just going to be more of the same with what transpired in 2019?
Frankly, it’s impossible to answer any of those questions with only reports from training camps to go off of. At the same time, we can look at the talent and situation for all 32 teams, some of which have improved or changed recently, to build these NFL Power Rankings to enter the season.
Clowney signing, roster cuts have an impact on 2020 NFL Power Rankings
The biggest news in the days leading up to the Week 1 kickoff is, of course, Jadeveon Clowney landing with the Tennessee Titans. Adding arguably the most talented young player available in the 2020 free agency class, even this late in the process, makes a team that was in the AFC Championship Game a year ago even more dangerous.
That’s not all that we’ve seen transpire throughout the league, though. Leonard Fournette was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars and subsequently joined the party with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. Furthermore, Adrian Peterson was cut by the Washington Football Team and soon landed with the Detroit Lions. These moves, among others in the trim-down to 53 players, will have an impact on the season.
Said moves also impact our NFL Power Rankings. So here we go — it’s time for Week 1 and it’s time to dive headfirst into the first batch of power rankings as the season gets underway.
Even early in the 2020 offseason, people were talking about the Jacksonville Jaguars being the favorites to earn the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and likely land Trevor Lawrence. But at that time and with the hype around young quarterback Gardner Minshew, there were plenty in the “this team could be better than expected” crowd.
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Those voices have since been quelled. It’s been a firesale in Duval County over the past year with A.J. Bouye, Jalen Ramsey and Calais Campbell all sent away at one point. Then most recently, the Jaguars released Leonard Fournette, traded Yannick Ngakoue to the Vikings and then traded Ronnie Harrison to the Browns.
Jacksonville is clearly in a mode in which they are stockpiling draft picks for the future. Some would call it tanking but, whatever term you choose, it’s obvious that winning games this season isn’t exactly at the top of the list of priorities for the Jaguars right now.
The aforementioned Minshew will continue to be an exciting and fun story, one that could end up landing the Jaguars more draft capital in a future trade. And there are also young pieces that offer intrigue on this roster, whether that’s D.J. Chark, Josh Allen or members of the rookie class. But this roster in its current state will be lucky if they manage to win more than one game this season.
Oh, the Washington Football Team. Whether it was about the name-change or the ongoing reports regarding a completely broken culture within the franchise, it’s been a rough go of it in the nation’s capital thus far in 2020.
At the same time, there are positives about the Football Team right now. Chase Young, the No. 2 overall pick from the 2020 NFL Draft, figures to be an instant-impact rookie on the defensive line. Furthermore, the rest of the defensive line should be the biggest strength of this roster. Then there is excitement about young players like wide receiver Terry McLaurin and running back Antonio Gibson.
While that all may be true, this roster as a whole is in a bit of disarray, largely because they’ve been operating as a rudderless vessel for quite a while. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins faces a crucial year after an up-and-down rookie season but the offensive line has holes and the skill position groups are lacking severely. Meanwhile, the defensive secondary is just as troublesome.
New head coach Ron Rivera, who will be undergoing treatments for cancer throughout the 2020 season, is the right man to steer the ship in Washington in the right direction. And it does feel as if real change is being started with the toxic culture. That, however, doesn’t translate to many wins this year.
Maybe this is a harsh spot to have the New York Jets in these NFL Power Rankings entering Week 1 but I really don’t think that’s the case. The more that we hear about this team and the more you look at the roster, it’s hard to believe that the wide-open door in the AFC East won’t close quickly in the face of Gang Green.
For starters, the weaknesses on both sides of the ball are glaring. There are no proven pass-rushers, the secondary has major holes now that Jamal Adams resides in Seattle, this might be the worst wide receiver group outside of Washington in the NFL and the offensive line remains sub-par even after using a first-round pick on Mekhi Becton as he can only man one spot.
Additionally, it feels like any optimism about the Jets is centered on third-year quarterback Sam Darnold making a leap. But what evidence is there that’s going to happen? He’s struggled when on the field and, while that may not be his fault, his situation hasn’t improved all that much heading into this season.
The cherry on top in the Big Apple, though, is head coach Adam Gase. Nothing that he’s done in this position, with the Jets or with the Dolphins, should inspire confidence that he can produce a winning team. And I expect that to be reflected as the Jets should be considered favorites to finish last in the AFC East in 2020.
If we were setting expectations for the Cincinnati Bengals based solely on the confidence of rookie quarterback Joe Burrow, they would be, at minimum, one of the top five teams in these NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 1. But alas, that’s no how we do things around here.
There should be little reason to doubt Burrow, though. The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft has drawn rave reviews throughout training camp on the heels of arguably the greatest college football season by a quarterback in history. He’ll have normal rookie growing pains but all signs are positive that he’s got what’s needed to succeed.
Unfortunately, that can’t be said for the rest of the Bengals roster. The offensive skill positions and the defensive line boast nice mixes of talented youngsters and productive veterans but every other group is littered with uncertainty.
The offensive line gets 2019 first-rounder Jonah Williams back but the rest of the unit is quite worrisome. That sentiment holds true for the linebackers and a secondary that was rebuilt in free agency but with players who aren’t wholly reliable based on what they’ve shown. When you have those crucial areas of the roster raising doubts, that doesn’t bode well for the season’s outlook.
Fantasy football managers should take notice of the New York Giants in the 2020 season for a number of reasons. For one, the guys on this roster who man this side of the ball have legit talent. Saquon Barkley is still a freakish specimen, Daniel Jones showed really promising flashes in his rookie season one year ago, Evan Engram can be a top-tier tight end if he can stay on the field and the wide receiver group may not have a superstar but it’s got several quality players in the mix.
But perhaps the biggest reason that fantasy managers should take notice of the offense is that the unit will have to put up big numbers to win games on account of the defense.
Under Tom Coughlin with Eli Manning at quarterback in the 2000s and early 2010s, the Giants thrived off of an elite defense. That won’t be the case this year. Even with the recent addition of Logan Ryan, the G-Men might have the worst defense in the league or they’re at least in the conversation. There are pieces but a final product is not remotely present at this point.
When you take that into account with the fact that the offensive line is still not a finished product either, the Giants don’t have a terribly high ceiling coming into the year. They should compete and be part of some fun showdown but the losses will well outnumber the victories come December.
Trying to find reasons why the Carolina Panthers could surprise the NFL in the 2020 season actually isn’t all that difficult to do.
Christian McCaffrey is the starting point as he stands as the best running back in the league right now. He’s not alone in terms of the skill position players on offense as D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson and Curtis Samuel have talent and upside. They are also working with Joe Brady, who orchestrated the masterful and lethal LSU offense led by Joe Burrow last year, as the new offensive coordinator. And newcomer Teddy Bridgewater was a winner with New Orleans as an injury replacement last year.
But where people lose me with the Panthers is acting like the reasons for optimism and the potential of a surprise are, instead, reasons this team should be expected to be good in 2020. To me, that’s not the case.
Not only is this defense exceptionally young and unproven at multiple key spots but the offensive line has some holes as well. That’s two major problems, one on each side of the ball. Factor in a new coaching staff taking over in this offseason and the fact that Bridgewater, while solid, has a limited ceiling, this team is going to comfortably finish at the bottom of the NFC South.
Full disclosure, it’ been hard for me to get behind the Los Angeles Chargers’ overall potential throughout the entire offseason. While there are clearly nice pieces on the offense with Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler and Hunter Henry as the team also improved the offensive line, the quarterback position has continued to concern me.
Tyrod Taylor is a great veteran stopgap. He’s a game-manager at this point of his career, a player who isn’t going to make mistakes and won’t lose you many contests. At the same time, he’s also not going to win you any games either, and therein lies the issue. For the Chargers to be truly competitive in 2020, they would need their defense to be elite.
To be sure, a fully-healthy Chargers defense had that type of potential. Whether it’s Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram off the edge, rookie Kenneth Murray at linebacker or a versatile group of defensive backs on the back end, they are loaded with talent. But the Derwin James injury, which has ruled him out for the entire year, terrifies me.
James was the linchpin of what this defense was capable of, the versatile glue that could make everything click. Without him on the field, the defense drops from being great to being good. And with Taylor (or a not-yet-ready Justin Herbert) at quarterback, that puts a relatively low ceiling on the Bolts this year.
Coming into last season, there was legitimate chatter about whether or not the Miami Dolphins would be able to win a single game. They accomplished that five-fold in Brian Flores’ first-year as the head coach as he proved his merit on the sidelines in leading his team to a 5-11 record. And as he enters year two, the team was aggressive in improving the roster.
That started in free agency as Miami added one impact veteran after another. They inked cornerback Byron Jones to a monster deal but also signed players like Kyle Van Noy, Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah, all of whom should be immense upgrades over what the Dolphins fielded on defense last year and should make that unit at least competent.
The offense got quite the facelift too. Adding Jordan Howard and Matt Breida, in addition to drafting to help the offensive line, should help improve what was the worst rushing attack in the league last year. And of course, the Dolphins selected quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft.
Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the starting quarterback for Week 1 and, frankly, the Dolphins are still at least a year away from fully realizing the fruits of their rebuild. Having said that, they are definitively trending upward and shouldn’t be taken lightly this year.
The Mile High City is abuzz about the potential of the Denver Broncos in the 2020 NFL season. And that starts with what quarterback Drew Lock did at the end of his rookie campaign and how the team’s front office responded to that this offseason.
Lock spent the first three-quarters (roughly) of the year on IR but returned to start the final five games of 2019. He led the team to a 4-1 record over that span and made instant believers out of fans the Broncos brass. Subsequently, they surrounded him with a litany of weapons this offseason, namely signing Melvin Gordon before drafting Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler in the first two rounds, respectively.
Thus, everyone is ready for Lock and Denver to make the leap. But should they be? Not only are we looking at an exceptionally small sample size with Lock in his rookie season but now there’s film on the young quarterback. On top of that, the offensive line is a major concern, especially after Ja’Wuan James opted out.
Yes, Vic Fangio’s defense should remain a quality unit, as it has been for quite some time. But the crux of the argument for the Broncos taking a big leap is the offense making a jump with Lock. And I’m not convinced that’s going to happen, at least in 2020.
Where do you put the Chicago Bears in NFL Power Rankings? That’s just about the million-dollar question as this team is near impossible to peg. They’ve consistently been .500 or better over the past few years but there is a dark cloud that hangs over this team that remains in the sky: the quarterback position.
This offseason, Bears general manager Ryan Pace traded for former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles in hopes of the veteran pushing young Mitchell Trubisky, who struggled mightily in his third season last year, and perhaps being an upgrade over the incumbent to raise the floor of the offense. So what do we make of the fact that Trubisky was named the Week 1 starter?
Frankly, it feels like Pace has backed himself into a corner. There is obvious talent throughout the roster but, until the issue at quarterback is remedied, then this team can only go but so far. And but so far is potentially making the playoffs but not being capable of much more than that.
As long as Khalil Mack and this defense remain part of the mix, the Bears are not going to be a bad team. But it’s hard to consider them close to cracking the top 20 until we see something different from the offense.
We all know that the Detroit Lions finished the 2019 season with a 3-12-1 record, the third-worst mark in the NFL. Subsequently, head coach Matt Patricia enters a new season with serious questions about his long-term viability on the sidelines in the Motor City. But at the same time, how last year transpired doesn’t entirely tell the story of this team.
What does tell the story is the Matthew Stafford injury that limited the quarterback to just eight games a year ago. Prior to that injury, the Lions were 3-4-1 and could’ve been 5-3 with a couple of bounces of the ball as the signal-caller was playing an MVP-caliber brand of football. For the non-math majors out there, that means Detroit went 0-8 once Stafford was sidelined.
The quarterback returns to the mix for the 2020 NFL season, though, and that should excite everyone. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell constructed an offense last year ideally suited to play to the strengths of the big-armed quarterback and weapons like breakout star Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones Jr. and young tight end T.J. Hockenson. The offense should be high-flying and, frankly, impressive this year.
At the same time, the defense remains a question mark. The front seven is a bit of an issue right now and the secondary is in a period of transition as well. Can Patricia work his Patriot magic on that side of the ball? His job may depend on the answer to that but the Lions offense should keep the team competitive if Stafford remains healthy.
Nothing about Jon Gruden’s return to the Raiders has been conventional. He started his tenure by trading away one of the best defensive players in the league, Khalil Mack, and then soon trading Amari Cooper as well. Both deals netted valuable draft capital, which has now been spent. So as the silver and black now reside in Sin City, it’s time for the fruits of Gruden’s labor to ripen.
There have been decisive steps forward for the Raiders under Gruden. For all the things you can fault him for since returning to the sidelines, the fact remains that he’s a good coach who can win games in this league. And now he has pieces on both sides of the ball that should help him do that.
The offseason additions of linebackers Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski in addition to the return of safety Johnathan Abram should take a young defense to the next level, even if cornerback is an area of concern. Furthermore, the offense now has a multitude of young weapons with Josh Jacobs, Henry Ruggs III, Darren Waller and Bryan Edwards.
How well the Raiders perform in 2020 could come down to quarterback Derek Carr and whether or not he can prove to be a franchise quarterback. He’s yet to consistently show that but now the excuses are largely gone. No. 21 in these power rankings might be the floor for the Raiders this year but they have the potential to rise if the signal-caller takes a big step forward.
Few teams cause me as many problems in terms of preseason evaluation than the Los Angeles Rams. And the reason behind that is quite simple; there are compelling arguments as to why this team could bounce back and as to why the lack of relative success from last season could be the new norm for this team.
The optimistic view of the Rams starts with Sean McVay. His status as an offensive guru was somewhat called into question in 2019 because it seemed as if the league finally had the book on how to slow his offense down. Having said that, there is still talent on that side of the ball and McVay could counter-punch. Moreover, the star-power on defense could anchor that unit with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.
On the flip side, there is the chance that the book is truly out on McVay and the prolific offense we once knew is no more. Partially playing into that is the simple fact that the running back and offensive line situations have worsened substantially since this team was making their run to the Super Bowl. And, of course, there are big holes around the stars on defense.
You could tell me that the Rams are going 11-5 or 5-11 in the 2020 season and both would be equally plausible for me. Coming into the year, no team has as much variance between their floor and ceiling than LA.
Midway through last year, there were plenty of fans and analysts calling for Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn to get the ax. The team was completely out of the playoff race and seemed well on their way to a top-five pick. Even with the injuries they endured, things were not looking good.
After the Falcons’ bye week, though, things turned around completely. Atlanta finished the season exceptionally strong, rebounding from a 1-7 start to end the year on a 6-2 run. So now they come into a new campaign with questions about which version of the team we are going to see and if they can make their way back into the postseason picture.
Especially with the shortened offseason, I’m high on the Falcons offense as they largely retained the key pieces with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. New additions Hayden Hurst and Todd Gurley add new wrinkles but could be positive forces to an already potent unit. Moreover, the defense could be marginally better while also, most importantly, being healthy.
The biggest issues for the Falcons might be playing in the NFC South as, even if you like them, they are a notch below the Saints and Buccaneers. Even still, Atlanta should be able to compete for a playoff spot this year.
All aboard the Arizona Cardinals hype train.
The narrative entering last season was the uncertainty about what the franchise was doing from a philosophical standpoint. They traded away their first-round pick quarterback from 2018 (Josh Rosen) to take Kyler Murray first overall in the 2019 draft. Arizona also hired Kliff Kingsbury, fresh off him getting ousted at Texas Tech for not winning enough games in Lubbock, to introduce an air-raid offense that they hoped would take the NFL by storm.
While the Cardinals weren’t a playoff team last season, Murray and Kingsbury answered a ton of questions about the viability of the plan as they not only had success but they got better throughout the year as well. And now they should be even better.
Arizona pulled off the coup of the 2020 offseason, trading a second-round pick and David Johnson (an expensive player they no longer needed) for DeAndre Hopkins, one of the best receivers in the league. Now Murray has Hopkins, Christian Kirk, ageless Larry Fitzgerald and running back Kenyan Drake to run Kingsbury’s high-powered offense with.
This team should be incredibly exciting and, in truth, tough to beat. At the same time, there are obvious flaws. The offensive line is still problematic and the defense, though it has playmakers, is lacking. On the whole, though, Arizona is another team to watch this season who may only miss the playoffs by proxy of playing in the toughest division in the league.
If everything goes right for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 season, having them at No. 17 in these NFL Power Rankings going into Week 1 might look like one of the dumbest things that any person has ever written. That’s a risk I’m willing to take, however.
Ben Roethlisberger played only two games last season before missing the rest of the year and the results were disastrous for the Steelers offense. Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodgers were abysmal as the replacement options under center. Yet, Pittsburgh finished the season at 8-8 as the defense, spearheaded by the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade, hit a new gear as one of the best units in the league.
Now that the veteran quarterback is coming back, many expect the whole ship to be righted. James Conner, if healthy, won’t be facing stacked boxes and JuJu Smith-Schuster can return to stardom with competent throws coming his way.
While that may be true and, again, has the potential to make me look quite stupid, I’m still worried about this team as a whole. For starters, Roethlisberger is flirting with 40 years old and isn’t exactly the picture of health. Are we sure he stays healthy for 16 games? I’m not and the backup situation remains a real issue.
Additionally, it’s hard for me to think the Pittsburgh defense plays at as high of a level as they did last year. So if that happens, can this team be a true contender? My guess is no. And these concerns lead me to not jump the gun on putting the Steelers higher than this in these power rankings.
After failing to make the playoffs last year, it felt like every available quarterback in free agency this offseason had the Indianapolis Colts listed a potential landing spot. And in the end, general manager Chris Ballard landed one of those guys in Philip Rivers. The quarterback is coming off of one of the worst years of his carer but there’s reason to believe he can find his form again.
Playing in Indy, Rivers will be protected by possibly the best offensive line he’s ever played with. For a quarterback who is a statue at this point in his career, that’s critical for his success. Throw in a stable of talented running backs and wide receiver and the quarterback is in a fantastic position to have a late-career swan song with the Colts.
This team has been on the cusp of being a playoff contender but Andrew Luck’s retirement last year threw them for a loop. Rivers should rectify that and, as the defense has been steadily improving with additions like DeForest Buckner, they could make some noise in the competitive AFC South.
All of that being said, Rivers still needs to prove he has it. Meanwhile, T.Y. Hilton needs to stay healthy and the secondary needs to prove it won’t be an issue. But in the most positive light, the Colts aren’t a team anyone in the league can take lightly on paper.
The Houston Texans are still a good football team and Bill O’Brien is still a quality head coach. That might sound controversial given the ire that this team has received this offseason but it’s absolutely true when you consider what this roster brings to the table and what O’Brien has done in his coaching career.
Deshaun Watson is still the quarterback of this group, which gives them a chance in almost any game. Furthermore, the weapons around him are enticing as Brandin Cooks, Will Fuller and Kenny Stills all play into the signal-caller’s strengths as a downfield passer. Meanwhile, the defense remains solid, the O-line has improved and David Johnson might have something in the tank if he’s healthy.
Where opinions about the Texans and O’Brien get convoluted is when you consider the head coach in his role as the team’s general manager. He’s been awful in that capacity, giving away draft picks like they’re worthless and trading away the team’s best non-Watson weapon on offense, DeAndre Hopkins, for sub-standard value.
That type of work may not be good for the long-term outlook of the Texans (it’s definitely not) but the 2020 season only takes into account what the group looks like now. And when you look at that, this team still has viable playoff aspirations and a chance to win the AFC South again.
In the wise words of Michael Scott on The Office, “No question about it, I’m ready to get hurt again.” Welcome to the 2020 season with the Cleveland Browns and me buying in on them again.
Freddie Kitchens and the Browns suckered me in last offseason. We all know about the hype created by adding Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon and how gloriously Cleveland flamed out in falling short of those lofty expectations. But when you look at what actually happened with that team and how they handled this offseason, perhaps we were just too early on the hype.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield regressed in a bad way from his rookie season to his second year in the league. Part of that is on him but, when you factor in one of the worst offensive lines in the league and a clueless head coach, the quarterback wasn’t in a good spot. Both of those issues were fixed this offseason while the laundry list of enticing skill position players remain, as does a quality young defense.
New head coach Kevin Stefanski appears to be the exact right guy to maximize the talent on this Browns roster, coming from a culture of stability and with a proven offensive mind to unleash as well. No one is going to make the mistake of crowning Cleveland as Super Bowl champs again this offseason but this team should be expected to make the playoffs this year.
Remember just a few months ago when, in the wake of the NFL Draft wherein the New England Patriots chose not to address the quarterback position, it seemed as if Bill Belichick was about to trot out Jarrett Stidham as his starter under center? Things have changed quite a bit since then.
Cam Newton is not only the starting quarterback that will replace Tom Brady in Foxborough but he has consistently drawn positive reviews. By all accounts, the 2015 NFL MVP is clicking with the coaching staff and is taking to the Patriots like a fish to water. That bodes well for the Patriots as they venture into a season without Brady for the first time in two decades.
At the same time, though, New England is a team rife with question marks. The wide receiver group is among the worst in the NFL on paper, the backfield has yet to settle anything to this point and no team in the league, on both sides of the ball, was hit as hard by opt-out decisions as the Patriots were.
With a veteran and uniquely talented quarterback, though, Belichick has earned the benefit of the doubt. No one is going to crown the Patriots Super Bowl champs given the problems with this roster but absolutely no one is going to think this team shouldn’t compete to win the AFC East once again.
There’s no way that the Philadelphia Eagles could have worse injury luck than they did in the 2019 campaign, right? After all, the team was starting a converted college quarterback at wide receiver down the stretch last season, in addition to a number of other ailments. Yet the team still won the NFC East, which raised hopes for what a healthy version of this group could accomplish in the 2020 season.
Well, we might not get to see that version of the Eagles after all. Injuries have already ravaged this roster throughout the offseason and into training camp. Star guard Brandon Brooks and projected starting left tackle Andre Dillard are both out for the season. First-round pick Jalen Reagor is doubtful for Week 1. And Carson Wentz, Javon Hargrave, Derek Barnett and numerous others have been dealing with injuries as well.
At their best, Philadelphia has the potential to not only repeat as division champs but to make a run at another Super Bowl. The Eagles aren’t at their best right now, though. The trenches are already being negatively affected and Week 1 hasn’t even arrived yet. It’s hard to put them into the top 10 when they have so many things already working against them.
Frankly, the Buffalo Bills should’ve won a playoff game last season. Sean McDermott’s club held a relatively commanding lead, especially as it pertains to how they played, over Houston in the first half of their Wild Card Round matchup last year. Then came a collapse. Josh Allen and the offense stalled almost completely and the defense, though it far from imploded, couldn’t continue stonewalling Watson and Co. for 30 more minutes. Thus, Buffalo was sent packing.
Even with the sour taste of losing a lead in a playoff game, that should be considered a positive for the Bills in their current situation. With a young quarterback and stout defense, you want to see incremental steps toward success, which they’ve been taking. And now the franchise seems inclined to take another step forward, evidenced by the addition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs via trade this offseason.
Diggs is the first bonafide WR1 Allen will have played with in his young career. And if he opens up things on that side of the ball, then the Bills should be truly dangerous. However, it really all comes down to the quarterback.
Though he’s found team success, Allen has to take the next step as a passer, particularly with his accuracy overall and consistency as a deep-ball thrower, for the team to be a true contender. Whether or not he’s capable of getting better in those areas remains to be seen but the ceiling of the Bills depends on the answer to those questions.
Man, when you look at this Seattle Seahawks roster, there are a lot of things that will worry you. The offensive line remains one of those things, something that has been perpetual with this franchise. Moreover, you’d like to see running back Chris Carson stay healthy to help the rushing attack as well. And the cornerback group, though young and developing, is shallow and not fully realized yet.
What’s truly disconcerting for the Seahawks, though, is the front seven. With Jadeveon Clowney leaving after just one season, Seattle’s front four might be one of the worst in the league. And even though they traded for versatile All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, a lack of a push in the trenches could really sink the defense in a major way.
Yet, the Seahawks still crack the top 10 of these NFL Power Rankings coming into Week 1 for the simplest reason of all: quarterback Russell Wilson.
For all the issues this team has and has had, the dynamic quarterback has made many of the problems just go away because he’s that good. And with a dynamic wide receiver duo in Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf at his disposal, that’s not changing this year.
It may not be pretty outside of Wilson when he’s allowed to cook but the Seahawks aren’t going anywhere.
Jadeveon Clowney is coming to Nashville. Entering this offseason, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2014 NFL Draft was considered by many to be the best player in the 2020 free agency class. But after five months, he remained without a team. In the end, though, it was a Tennessee Titans team that had long been connected to him that go the deal for the pass-rusher done.
Now, a team that made it to the AFC Championship Game a year ago has one of the most high-upside edge defenders in the league on the roster. And with that, the Titans are obvious favorites to win a tight AFC South race this season. But the question then becomes if they have upside beyond that.
It’s unlikely that quarterback Ryan Tannehill plays at the same level he did after taking over as the starter last year, just as it’s unlikely Derrick Henry rushes for 800 yards per game (approximate) like he did in the playoffs for Tennessee. At the same time, they could still be quite good while the rest of the offense gets better, especially guys like A.J. Brown and Jonnu Smith.
Thus, adding Clowney to this defense, one that is good on every level, is massive. It gives this team an even higher floor while also raising the ceiling as well. It may not always be pretty but Mike Vrabel’s gritty club is going to win a lot of games this year.
No one should be a fan of what the Green Bay Packers did in the 2020 offseason. In free agency, the team let right tackle Bryan Bulaga walk and replaced him with an inferior player, Ricky Wagner. They also lost Blake Martinez but did replace him with Christian Kirksey, who could be an upgrade if healthy. But the draft and the approach to the rest of the offense was the real issue.
Wide receiver was, bar none, the biggest need for the Pack this offseason. Aaron Rodgers needs more reliable pass-catchers and the draft was the perfect opportunity to snag one. Instead, they traded up for Rodgers’ eventual replacement, Jordan Love, in the first round and then failed to select a single wide receiver in the entire draft. In fact, their one major addition at the position, Devin Funchess, chose to opt out.
Factoring in this offseason in addition to the fact that Green Bay overachieved a bit last year by going 13-3, there are a lot of people down on this team for this season. And that’s where I draw the line.
Even if you don’t like their offseason, we have a defense that should actually be better in 2020 after an already-solid outing a year ago, an offense that was productive and an angry Rodgers with something to prove. For me, that’s the recipe for a playoff lock and a team that will win double-digit games again, even if they do regress from 13 victories.
The Minnesota Vikings made the playoffs last season and carved out a path to the Divisional Round by beating the Saints as well. Despite all of the criticism Kirk Cousins gets, he has proven that he can win consistently in this league. Yet, the Vikings have been an understandably divisive team after the offseason they’ve had.
Trading away wide receiver Stefon Diggs does add a question mark on offense, one not totally answered by selecting Justin Jefferson in the first round of the 2020 draft. Yes, the LSU product can make an instant impact but he’s not the proven big-time playmaker Diggs was. That could lead to the offense taking a slight step back, especially with Kevin Stefanski leaving for Cleveland.
On the other side of the ball, the defense has seen a huge facelift, losing the bulk of their secondary, Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph. Up front, though, they should be fine, especially with the recent trade for Yannick Ngakoue. And the secondary, a unit which underperformed badly last year, might’ve needed a shakeup more than running it back.
No. 7, admittedly, does feel high for Minnesota. At the same time, putting a team with this much talent and with the stability of head coach Mike Zimmer much lower didn’t feel right either. That’s why I settled here as the Vikes should be NFC North favorites, albeit by an incredibly small margin.
Just when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made one perfect addition to their team, they have seemingly made another soon after throughout the entire offseason. The first, of course, was signing six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady to replace Jameis Winston. Pairing Brady with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and O.J. Howard in itself was enough to make fans salivate.
But the moves have kept coming. Tampa traded for Rob Gronkowski, bringing Brady’s favorite target out of retirement to reunite the pairing. The Bucs then addressed their hole at right tackle with a stud rookie, Tristan Wirfs. And most recently, they took advantage of value when Leonard Fournette hit the open mark, landing the running back and adding him to a committee backfield.
Anyone questioning Brady in Bruce Arians’ offense is kidding themselves. Is he the big-armed gunslinger that Winston was? Of course not — but that’s a big part of the reason the Bucs wanted to move on. They need stability and playmaking working in unison, which is what Brady provides.
Adding that to an elite group of offensive weapons and a truly underrated defense, this is a legitimate Super Bowl contender in Tampa. The only thing that may hold them back is the shortened offseason as they need to integrate new pieces. In terms of top-end potential, though, the Bucs are among the best in the league, without question.
Because of the celebration around Kansas City winning Super Bowl LIV, many people seem to overlook the fact that the San Francisco 49ers were tantalizingly close to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Kyle Shanahan’s team fell victim to a few missed opportunities late and Mahomes doing Mahomes things and came up just short.
However, Shanahan has proven that, as long as he has a good quarterback, he can put an elite offensive product on the field. And that shouldn’t change in 2020 as Jimmy Garoppolo is back once againt. Moreover, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh returns again to head a unit that was one of the best in the league a year ago.
The reason I drop the 49ers to the back-end of the top five in these NFL Power Rankings, though, is that there are some areas where I’m concerned and, when you’re splitting hairs with the best teams, that can be the difference between a spot or two.
San Francisco replacing DeForest Buckner with Javon Kinlaw is a decisive downgrade and Fred Warner has missed time in camp. Moreover, the secondary could regress as an older, veteran group and the wide receiver injuries have been troublesome as well.
No one is sleeping on the Niners and rightfully so. But they do have some things to sort out early in the year if they’re to make another Super Bowl run.
Considering that you haven’t seen them yet, you know that the reigning champion Chiefs are in the top three of these NFL Power Rankings. And the shortcoming of Kansas City’s roster is undeniably the defense. Yet, as they made enough improvements there, especially with the pass-rush, that was enough to let their elite offense lead the way. So why can’t the same formula work for the Dallas Cowboys?
This isn’t to say that Dak Prescott is Patrick Mahomes — he’s not. However, he has proven that he’s a top-end player at the position in this league and his situation is phenomenal. The offensive line remains a strength, Ezekiel Elliott is a high-class running back and the wide receiver trio of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb might be the best in the league.
Throw in the addition of new head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore remaining in tow, this offense could be a top-three unit in the league in 2020.
People tend to look at the Cowboys defense and point to it as the reason why Dallas won’t contend in the 2020 season. But why? Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch are quality linebackers, the defensive line — even with Gerald McCoy’s injury — has elite upside as a pass-rushing unit and the secondary is young but talented.
This group can, in a way, replicate the Chiefs formula to find success this season. And if you’re not counting them as a legit Super Bowl contender, you’re being willingly blind to the situation at hand.
It’s just about impossible to find a true weakness on the New Orleans Saints roster coming into the 2020 NFL season. In what could be (and almost surely is) the last hurrah for future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Drew Brees, the roster around him is set up to compete for his second ring and it’s going to be in the cards.
Brees returning at quarterback is obviously the linchpin on offense but the group around him is stout. Michael Thomas needs no introduction but the big news at wide receiver is that Emmanuel Sanders, though no longer in his prime, might be the best No. 2 pass-catcher that Brees and Thomas have played with. Pair that with a top-shelf offensive line and Alvin Kamara and this group is ready to rock.
As for the defense, this group has been steadily on the incline for several years and appears fully formed now, led by Cameron Jordan and Sheldon Rankins up front, Demario Davis at linebacker and the likes of Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams in the secondary. Putting up points on New Orleans won’t be a cakewalk.
The only question for the Saints is whether or not they can get it done in the playoffs. Even with the Bucs soaring now, New Orleans is still the favorite in the NFC South and perhaps the conference at large.
Certainly by their standards, the end to the Baltimore Ravens’ season last year came prematurely. After Lamar Jackson put forth an MVP-winning effort and led his team to a 14-2 record, the best mark in the league, the team failed to secure a playoff win as they were beaten into submission by the Titans.
For a team with a young quarterback, especially one as talented as Jackson, the key is building off of that tough loss and getting better. On paper, it seems as if the Ravens have done exactly that this offseason as they should be even more dangerous and complete.
The offense should largely look the same, though there have been some more weapons added on that side of the ball. But Earl Thomas departure aside, the defense is where things have progressed. Baltimore traded for Calais Campbell, a huge addition to the defensive line, while also drafting linebacker Patrick Queen in the first round to fill a huge need in the middle of that group.
Jackson needs to evolve as a passer and, in turn, help the offense evolve too. But in only his third season, that seems quite plausible to happen. Even if this team just runs it back, though, the improvements on the defense make the Ravens a viable Super Bowl contender as they enter the 2020 season.
What more can be said about the Kansas City Chiefs that hasn’t already been discussed? Patrick Mahomes won NFL MVP in his first full season as the starter in 2018 and followed that up by taking his team to the Super Bowl and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy a year ago. So why would we think that would change heading into the 2020 season?
Kansas City took care of its own throughout the offseason. They inked Mahomes to a record-setting 10-year contract that stole all of the headlines but that wasn’t all. Head coach Andy Reid signed an extension, tight end Travis Kelce landed a new deal and the Chiefs retained stud defensive tackle Chris Jones as well.
If that wasn’t enough, you could make the case that the already-potent offense got more dangerous. Yes, running back Damien Williams opted out of the year but the Chiefs spent their first-round pick on LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a higher-ceiling player ideally suited for Reid’s offense.
The champions are the champions until they aren’t anymore. And with the best quarterback in the league, one of the best coaches in the league and game-breaking talent throughout the offense, all signs point to the Chiefs making another legitimate run at the Lombardi Trophy this season.